I enjoy listening to the Freakonomics podcast, behavioral economics. Pretty interesting, and I think there are a couple episodes about altruism.

A Couch challenge: Pretend the entire workbench in your garage will be emptied. All you will have will be two screwdrivers and a hammer that says “Mom’s hammer: Do not touch.”. Also pretend that you believe that a reasonably intelligent human with Google and YouTube at their disposal should be able to manage minor home maintenance and repair. What basic tools do you need?

In related news, I am probably going to buy a cordless drill instead of an electric chainsaw. I am a little disappointed.